Chapter 643 - 640

After hearing Hikaru’s recommendation, Professor Hastings sank into thought.

"Hmm... Kellyn certainly exists."

"He rescued numerous Pokémon during the fire in Vien Forest and protected the townspeople during the Gigaremo incident in Pueltown."

"But he still can’t compare with Keith."

"That boy saved the Fiore region while Solana and Lunick were both absent. He defeated an enemy commander by himself and calmed rampaging Pokémon as powerful as Gyarados."

"That was why we decided to promote him to Top Ranger."

Even if the Sage’s Champion had recommended that courageous young man, Professor Hastings couldn’t promote Kellyn solely on that basis.

After all...

When Hikaru heard that Keith would be leading the raid on the Oil Field Hideout, an absurd feeling immediately welled up inside him.

The disappearance incident on Boyleland and the cargo ship incident from the original story hadn’t happened yet. Kellyn therefore hadn’t accumulated enough achievements to earn a promotion.

Keith’s advancement, on the other hand, had proceeded normally.

In fact, because the local criminal organization had become active in Fiore ahead of schedule, Keith had been promoted even faster.

That had created a truly bizarre situation.

"Good grief. They’re letting the party-wipe engine lead the team—and opening the Oil Field Hideout raid early."

It wasn’t as though Hikaru disliked Keith.

At the very least, Keith had genuinely risked his life in the original story and actively helped civilians.

But it was also an undeniable fact that he had repeatedly been captured and had once been sent flying several miles by a single blow from a villain.

For a Top Ranger, his strength really was inferior to the protagonist’s.

Yet in the early game, Keith constantly insisted that he was just a tiny bit stronger than the protagonist.

Young people were naturally competitive.

Besides, the protagonist couldn’t speak, so they simply let him have his fun. A little boasting wasn’t necessarily bad if it improved his confidence.

"Is the difference between Ranger Rank 9, Rank 10, and Top Ranger really that great?"

"No. The second game’s protagonist is simply abnormally powerful."

"When he appeared in the Diamond and Pearl animated series, he deflected a Riolu’s Aura Sphere with his bare hands."

"That Riolu was descended from a royal bloodline. Its Aura Sphere could blast through an armored vehicle and send Ash flying."

"It didn’t injure Ash, but Kellyn still knocked away an attack that powerful with his bare hand."

A superhuman with an unrivaled physical body was someone even the superpowered ’new kid from Pallet Town’ had to respect.

Solana, the protagonist of the first game, had effectively been reduced to Kellyn’s subordinate.

That was how powerful the second game’s protagonist was.

"Then let me confirm one more thing, Professor," Hikaru said. "Aside from Kellyn, is there a girl named Kate? She should also be a student at the Ranger School."

"Kate... Hmm."

Professor Hastings searched his memories.

"She also contributed during the great fire in Vien Forest. Her performance was outstanding!"

"She’s likewise a member of Vientown’s Ranger team."

"Elaine! The roster!"

"Huh?"

Elaine abruptly raised her head.

She had become so absorbed in dismantling the machine that she no longer knew what was happening around her.

"The roster!" Professor Hastings repeated. "Confirm the members of your Vientown team!"

"The roster? Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

Elaine was utterly confused. She hadn’t heard a word of Hikaru and Professor Hastings’s conversation.

"Our leader is Barlow. The members are Crawford, Luana, me, and the two recent additions, Kellyn and Kate."

"That makes six people in total!"

"Six?"

Hikaru froze, and his expression became subtle.

Both the male and female protagonists existed?

Then victory was practically guaranteed!

Whew. At last, they had a region with some real firepower.

In the first and third Pokémon Ranger games, both protagonists existed simultaneously and cooperated with each other.

Only the second game separated its male and female protagonists into alternate choices, with one existing only when the other did not.

The primary reason was to leave room for Keith, the king of getting humiliated.

The third game’s protagonists probably hadn’t graduated yet, so Hikaru couldn’t count on them.

But if the second game’s two superhuman Almian protagonists fought side by side, could any enemy withstand even a single exchange?

"We’ve already won!" Hikaru exclaimed. "They can simply engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat—"

"Ahem. What I mean is that you should pay close attention to this girl too. She has tremendous potential."

"The two of them could form an excellent combat partnership."

"Pokémon battles—no, Pokémon captures—were never meant to be so inconvenient!"

Professor Hastings began giving the proposal serious consideration.

If they had two people, they could indeed establish the beginnings of a new team.

But they were still missing one member.

Elaine obviously wasn’t suitable. What kind of organization sent its mechanic to fight on the front lines?

"Wait. We have you, don’t we?"

Professor Hastings suddenly pointed at Hikaru.

"This may be an unreasonable request, but didn’t you say that the crystal had entrusted you with a task?"

"Once the conference in Sinnoh ends, we will travel to Almia immediately!"

"I’m entrusting those two children to you. Please form a three-person team!"

"If a newly appointed Top Ranger leads them—especially one who is also a Champion-level Trainer—there should be no problem."

"If those two genuinely possess talent, they should demonstrate it very quickly!"

Professor Hastings’s reasoning was perfectly sound.

Who would ignore a Champion-level Trainer, their ultimate trump card, and instead force rookies to shoulder an essential mission?

That only happened when no other options existed.

Drawing an SSR-ranked expert would be one thing.

But if they failed to get one...

Premium-quality hostage, plus one.

"Ahem. I suppose that wouldn’t be a problem."

"I really have postponed the matter involving the princes for far too long."

"The Shadow Crystal caused an extremely serious incident in Galar. It does need to be handled as soon as possible."

Hikaru had reaffirmed that promise while in the Crown Tundra.

There was therefore no reason to refuse.

"But I’d like to ask about one more person," Hikaru continued. "Where is Natural Harmonia Gropius, who joined the Rangers earlier?"

"You mean Natural Harmonia Gropius?"

"He possesses a unique ability that allows him to converse with Pokémon. I consider it an extraordinary power."

"He also performed brilliantly while destroying the Gigaremo units."

"But because the Gigaremo could sever his ability to communicate with Pokémon, he felt utterly powerless."

"I therefore sent him to a special island to train."

According to Professor Hastings, the great N had previously been sent to the Capture Arena in the sea west of Almia.

It was a mysterious location where Ranger upgrades were developed and one of the Union’s most highly classified facilities.

The crystal’s power completely countered N’s psychic abilities, so he realized that he needed to learn how to perform captures with a Capture Styler.

After receiving the necessary equipment and permission, he departed for the island.

Later, because Keith was recalled to Almia, the highly regarded N was required to remain in Fiore.

"As long as Solana and Lunick are absent, Fiore’s local Ranger Leaders aren’t enough to protect its towns."

"They sent N there, only to bring Keith back ahead of schedule."

"That’s quite the mix-up. Still, there’s nothing wrong with the decision itself."

Fiore had recently suffered attacks from an enemy commander.

To reassure the region’s residents after the newly appointed Top Ranger was temporarily recalled, the Union naturally needed to dispatch another Ranger of Leader-level ability.

Anyone below Ranger Rank 5 need not apply.

Only someone stronger than Rank 5 could be sent.

As Elaine had said, aside from the protagonists, practically everyone below Rank 5 was small fry.

N’s strength was beyond question.

Even as a rookie, his combination of telepathy and prediction allowed him to direct Pokémon without verbal communication.

His ability to hear the voice of all things had already placed him at the highest level of Ranger Rank 10.

Ahem.

It appeared this simply wasn’t the great N’s moment in the spotlight.

Once his internship ended, he could return to Kyurem and retake his hero qualification exam.

Hikaru and Professor Hastings reached an agreement and decided to leave immediately after the conference.

Professor Hastings finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"In that case, our personnel situation will improve considerably. It will be equivalent to gaining three people at once."

"If those two children truly have the makings of Top Rangers, I’ll leave their training to you."

"Oh, right! There is also this."

"Elaine! Elaine!"

Professor Hastings called the mechanic again, forcing Elaine to put down her "little toy."

What did he want this time?

"The Styler!" Professor Hastings reminded her. "The Styler!"

"Oh! I nearly forgot!"

Elaine slapped her forehead and apologized to Hikaru.

"This was one of the important matters the professor mentioned!"

"Here!"

She removed a brand-new Capture Styler from the mechanic’s pouch at her waist.

"This is the official Capture Styler being issued to you," Elaine said. "Please accept it!"

"Ordinarily, receiving a Capture Styler requires passing the Ranger School’s examinations," Professor Hastings explained.

"However, some individuals receive one immediately upon joining because of their exceptional strength, becoming full-fledged Rangers without taking the examinations."

"Solana, Lunick, Jack Walker—and now Natural and you—all belong to that category."

"That’s what special admission means," Elaine said with a shrug. "Small fry like me never receive opportunities like that!"

[Special Item: Fine Styler!]

[Description: When an Area Ranger becomes a Top Ranger, they receive a Fine Styler.]

[The Fine Styler is worn on the wrist. By moving their arm and fingers, its user can control the Capture Disc in midair, enabling far more precise operation.]

[It also introduces a charging function!]

[How it controls the movement of the Capture Disc and its line through finger movements remains one of the Ranger Union’s most closely guarded technological secrets!]

[Effect: Power Charge! Capture speed and the emotions conveyed are twice as powerful as those of a basic capture! Even exceptionally powerful Pokémon can be captured with ease!]

"Hehehe~"

The instant Hikaru received the Fine Styler, a surge of electricity shot out of his backpack and entered the new device.

"What was that electricity?!"

Elaine was astonished.

Professor Hastings also stared incredulously at the blue current surrounding the Fine Styler.

What had just happened?

"Oh, that’s Rotom."

Professor Rowan was eating a RageCandyBar as he curiously observed the changing Fine Styler.

"I’ve already received the information regarding Dawn’s Rotom, along with its detailed research data."

"Unfortunately, although someone in Sinnoh learned of Rotom’s existence long ago—and another person even searched for it to conduct further research—they ultimately found nothing."

"Rotom was consequently considered a Pokémon that didn’t truly exist."

"I never expected one to be discovered inside the elevator at Unova’s Marvelous Bridge."

"It is now one of the primary subjects in Professor Juniper’s academic report."

Professor Rowan felt somewhat regretful.

Without question, Rotom was a newly discovered species.

It had technically first been observed more than ten years ago, but no one had successfully studied or captured it.

Professor Rowan briefly explained Rotom’s existence to Professor Hastings and Elaine.

Professor Hastings’s eyes widened.

"AI-drawn capture loops?"

A possibility he had never considered!

Wait. That might genuinely work.

Professor Hastings began tugging on his white beard.

Elaine gazed eagerly at the Fine Styler, clearly itching to get her hands on it, but Hikaru raised a hand to stop her.

"Ms. Elaine, the Fine Styler itself hasn’t changed. Rotom is the important part."

"Taking the machine apart won’t accomplish anything."

"However, to make the Fine Styler fully compatible with Rotom, we will need to install a specialized miniature motor."

"If we succeed, Rotom’s type may also undergo a new change."

When it came to AI-generated capture loops, the Ranger Union didn’t actually need Rotom.

After the Vatonage Styler was successfully developed, the Capture Styler used in the third game, Guardian Signs, somehow obtained an astonishing AI voice-navigation system.

It could provide directions and advice in real time while repeatedly emphasizing important information.

Perhaps it had been developed using the same principles as Porygon2.

Professor Hastings clicked his tongue in amazement.

"A Pokémon with such enormous computational power?"

"I never expected such a convenient Pokémon to exist aside from the artificially created Porygon."

"If a certain mechanic upgrades it, perhaps Rotom can become something truly unique," Hikaru said.

"That’s right. It can adapt to far more than Capture Stylers."

"It can enter a Pokédex, a Pokégear, a phone, a PC storage system, a bicycle, a drone..."

"That’s right—the Rotom product line."

"A certain mechanic?"

Elaine immediately seized upon the key phrase.

She wanted to say something, but when she saw Hikaru’s smile, her heart plunged into an abyss.

She forced an anxious smile.

"Th-Then who is this mechanic?"

"Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic."

The Rotom Pokédex had originally been invented by Clemont.

But anything Clemont could accomplish was also within Cyrus’s abilities.

That divine mechanical genius had already demonstrated his talent in Pokémon Masters EX.

Once Team Galactic disbanded, Hikaru could persuade Cyrus to become a craftsman.

His advertising slogan would be:

"Hand-Assembled High-Tech Rotom Devices—Seventeen Years of Artisanal Dedication."

"So it’s Team Galactic..." Elaine began.

Then she froze.

"Wait! Hold on!"

"Isn’t Team Galactic that company with all the terrible rumors here in Sinnoh?"

"We heard people talking about Team Galactic almost immediately after arriving!"

"It’s that Team Galactic," Hikaru confirmed.

"But there’s nothing strange about their president being an extraordinary mechanic."

"Cyrus is a genius. He was the first person to discover Rotom, give it its name, and manufacture a motor for it."

"Team Galactic was once a legitimate space-development enterprise too, along with an enormous home-appliance company."

"When it came to electronics, they were far ahead of everyone else."

Even Professor Hastings gave Elaine a helpless smile.

"My, my. Once you leave home, you discover experts everywhere, don’t you, Elaine?"

"I’m sorry."

Once again feeling like mechanical small fry, Elaine lowered her head in humiliation.

Come to think of it, the days when she had happily worked as a mechanic in rural Vientown, maintaining the Union’s equipment and being known as the Queen of Dismantling, now seemed unimaginably wonderful.

Even a school ranking examination wouldn’t have caused her position to plummet this far in a single day!

"Ahem. In any case, I am entrusting the Styler to you."

Professor Hastings cleared his throat.

His expression became solemn, and his voice took on a dignified tone.

"From this moment onward, you are the Ranger Union’s highest authority in Ranger security—the twelfth Top Ranger!"

The twelfth seat!

That position had originally belonged to Keith, but Keith was now the eleventh.

It didn’t make much difference.

The Ranger Union’s twelve Top Rangers strongly resembled the Knights of the Round Table—or the Royal Knights.

Of course, the original story hadn’t shown them doing very much.

Sven was a wandering loafer.

Wendy was the designated transportation specialist.

Keith was premium-quality hostage material.

Several other Top Rangers existed only in dialogue and were practically impossible to find.

"One last matter," Professor Hastings said. "What exactly is that blue-and-white orb you mentioned—the object we must pay special attention to and search for?"

"The Shining Orb," Hikaru answered.

"It is extremely dangerous, although it has no use for ordinary humans."

"If you find it, please bring it to me so I can examine it."

The Shining Orb had mysterious origins.

Created by the people of Oblivia, it was closely connected to Arceus and had once been used by a golden-clad leader to control it.

It greatly resembled the green Jewel of Life.

In any case, most mysterious artifacts like this had been casually created by the alpaca itself before somehow falling into an enemy’s hands.

Considering when the Oblivia incident occurred, this Shining Orb had most likely been created by the Arceus of this world.

It had certainly left behind plenty of potentially catastrophic items.

The orb was probably made from Plates too.

Professor Hastings nodded.

"Professor Rowan, I apologize for taking so much of your time."

"For now, I have no other matters that can be handled here."

The remaining problems couldn’t be resolved in this location, Professor Hastings silently grumbled.

Neither Almia nor Oblivia currently had sufficient personnel, so they would simply have to leave things as they were for now.

"It’s perfectly all right," Professor Rowan replied. "I found it fascinating to learn about unfamiliar regions."

"Furthermore, as a Top Ranger, Hikaru will be able to collect information on Pokémon from an even greater variety of places."

"That will benefit my research as well."

"After all, Hikaru technically counts as a researcher from my laboratory, even if I appointed him without permission."

Professor Rowan still felt rather bitter that he had failed to secure Hikaru as a graduate student.

Professor Juniper and Professor Sada—those young women had both competed with an old man like him.

Even Cynthia had "betrayed" him!

Then there was Cyrano.

To be honest, Professor Rowan didn’t know Director Cyrano at all.

They had previously participated in a discussion together and could only be considered nodding acquaintances, much like his relationship with Professor Sada.

But really...

Why was a school director joining this competition?

Construction of the Terarium hadn’t even begun. It existed as nothing more than a presentation deck.

Please remove that proposal from the table immediately.

"Then could I ask you to investigate Almia’s Pokémon next?" Professor Rowan asked Hikaru.

"During my discussions with Professor Hastings, I discovered that many Pokémon in Almia are also found in Sinnoh."

"We may even encounter another unique Pokémon similar to the Prince of the Sea."

Professor Rowan required additional samples to test his theory of evolution.

Naturally, many Pokémon in Almia overlapped with Sinnoh’s species.

The two locations appeared in games from the same generation, after all, and their design concepts were related.

In reality, however, the regions were separated by an enormous distance.

"That won’t be a problem," Hikaru replied.

"Many rare Pokémon can be found at the three target locations. We should be able to collect a considerable amount of valuable information."

"However, if you intend to study evolution, I believe regional forms would make an even better subject."

"You seem too busy to investigate them personally, though."

"Regional forms..."

Professor Rowan stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"I am indeed extremely interested, but I have too much work at present to begin the corresponding research."

"Professor Oak told me that a fellow professor of his was preparing to investigate regional forms."

"In the past, when communication between regions was inconvenient, there were reports that even Pokémon with different appearances would produce altered offspring after being brought to another region."

"To adapt to a region’s unique natural environment, certain Pokémon develop dramatically different appearances," Hikaru explained.

"Their ecology may differ greatly from that of other known members of their species, and their types may change as well."

"Pokémon are exceptionally susceptible to energy."

"Professor Rowan, since you research evolution, you should understand Eevee’s evolutions."

"Eevee possesses unstable genes capable of suddenly mutating in response to its environment."

"Its genetic structure is irregular, and it sometimes mutates to survive harsh environmental conditions."

"Mega Evolution, Dynamax, Totem Pokémon, Titan Pokémon, and Alpha Pokémon are similarly altered forms produced in response to external energies."

"If the Pokémon found in different regions truly diverged from the same original species, then bringing a regional form back to the original region produces an interesting result."

"This is how I describe it."

"During breeding, the region where the Egg is produced—or where evolution occurs—immediately determines the new generation’s appearance."

"If an Egg is produced in a region where that species possesses a regional form, the offspring will possess that local form regardless of its parents’ forms."

"Once an Egg comes into existence, its form is determined by the region where it was bred."

"Changes caused by the local environment are gradual and subtle. But once the process is complete, the inherited form becomes permanently fixed."

"Offspring assume that form instantly."

"Yet if those Pokémon are taken to another region, their descendants immediately revert to the original appearance."

"Did the Pokémon adapt to the environment?"

"Or did the environment reshape the Pokémon?"

"For example..."

Hikaru threw a Poké Ball.

Galarian Weezing slowly emerged.

Professor Rowan’s interest had already surged.

The new information Hikaru presented concerning evolution made his eyes shine.

After seeing the capitalist Weezing, he became even more astonished.

"Oh! Is this Galar’s Weezing?"

"It certainly looks different. It even has smokestacks on its head."

"That’s right. This is its Galarian form," Hikaru said.

"It is rarely seen elsewhere."

"What makes this form particularly interesting is that it exists only in Galar."

"And unlike most other regional forms..."

"Both ordinary Weezing and Galarian Weezing begin as ordinary Koffing before evolving."

"For most regional forms, even the basic stage changes."

"Weezing~"

The capitalist Weezing floated around the library.

It absorbed the carbon dioxide exhaled by the people present, then released fresh, clean air.

Everyone immediately felt refreshed.

Professor Hastings was the most astonished.

"Th-This breeze is remarkably invigorating!"

"The air has become as fresh as it is inside a forest!"

"This is completely different from an ordinary Weezing!"

"Exactly," Hikaru said with a smile.

"Ordinary Weezing release poisonous gas, but Galarian Weezing absorb poison and emit clean air."

"According to the records, they mutated during Galar’s Industrial Revolution two hundred years ago."

"As a result, their original Poison typing gained the Fairy type!"

Professor Rowan slapped the table in excitement.

"I understand!"

"This is truly the ideal comparison for studying regional forms and the theory of evolution!"

"Koffing and Weezing are common Pokémon."

"Factories in other regions also release exhaust fumes, yet those regions never produced this entirely new appearance."

Naturally, Hikaru thought.

Earlier generations hadn’t introduced the Fairy type or the concept of regional forms.

If they wanted to explain it retroactively, they could only claim that Galar industrialized unusually early, causing its local Koffing population to mutate due to some special factor.

Other regions industrialized later.

Their Koffing populations hadn’t finished adapting to human factories before society began regulating pollution.

Therefore—

The pollution never reached the threshold required to trigger mutation.

Professor Rowan sighed with emotion.

"I’ve studied this subject for so many years, beginning from nothing, yet the further the research progresses, the more there is to investigate."

"There truly is no end."

"Does that mean evolution has no limits?"

"Lucas! Bring me that docu—"

The elderly professor turned toward Lucas, who had been sitting in a corner of the table.

Lucas had listened to the entire discussion but had been unable to contribute a single word.

Of course he couldn’t interrupt.

He had worked throughout the morning and was still mentally exhausted.

Furthermore, he knew little about the Rangers and naturally had nothing to add.

Now that the conversation had finally reached evolution, Lucas could breathe a sigh of relief.

At last, they had reached the field he had always studied.

Well...

He hadn’t actually studied it for very long.

His accomplishments as an assistant remained limited, and he didn’t have any notable papers to present, so he could only help with miscellaneous tasks.

Still, Lucas believed he would have his opportunity eventually.

There was no need to hurry.

No hurry at all.

"Mr. Hikaru, this is Professor Rowan’s latest academic paper," Lucas said, handing him a thick stack of documents.

"It contains important research regarding evolution."

"The names have already... been added as authors!"

"Authors? This section concerns..."

Hikaru examined the contents of the paper.

"The influence of environment and evolution..."

"That’s right!" Professor Rowan said.

"It is based on your environmental theory."

"To refine this section further, I finally reached an agreement with that young Professor Juniper and obtained some of the data she had been guarding so carefully."

"She and you will primarily present the material regarding origins and environment."

"However, your contributions were also indispensable in advancing the evolutionary portion of the research."

"I therefore added your name without permission."

"I hope you don’t mind."

"I genuinely believe your contributions and information must be acknowledged."

"This theory could change the future of Pokémon research."

"In fact, I can foresee it becoming the predominant direction of Pokémon studies."

Environment, regional forms, and convergent evolution.

It might look like suspicious behavior from the developers—reusing Pokédex concepts and deleting moves because it was convenient—but it also reflected the very real influence that different environments exerted on living creatures.

Hikaru cleared his throat.

"No. I’m honored to receive such high praise from you."

"I merely made a modest contribution."

Professor Rowan sighed.

"Unfortunately, we can’t publicly release the information concerning the four poisonous beasts."

"Criminals might attempt to break their seals."

"It is regrettable that we cannot publish that section."

"If we could fully explain them, they would certainly become an enormous topic of discussion."

"After all, they are also newly discovered Pokémon."

"The data you transmitted was fascinating, as were the creatures’ inspirations and legends."

"I have studied mythology to some extent too. Cynthia is my student, after all."

"A powerless dog was stimulated by poison and gained tremendous strength."

"An unintelligent monkey had its mind stimulated and acquired great wisdom."

"An ugly bird was stimulated by poison and obtained a magnificent body."

"Compared with their original forms, could those changes be regarded as a kind of evolution?"

"I believe they can. Don’t you?"

Hikaru nodded.

"I strongly agree with that interpretation."

"However, those changes weren’t caused by a stable local environment. They were caused by energy."

"Energy..."

Professor Rowan savored the word.

"Speaking of that subject, one of my students is conducting precisely that kind of research!"

"Just like the Eevee you mentioned earlier."

"Do you know about Sylveon?"

"It is an evolved form of Eevee, yet it was rarely discovered in the past."

"I do," Hikaru replied.

"Ancient Galarian fairy tales tell of a beautiful Sylveon driving away a terrifying Dragon-type Pokémon."

"What?!"

Professor Rowan froze, his expression becoming slightly peculiar.

"Galar has old fairy tales concerning this Pokémon?"

"My student only recently discovered its evolutionary method. That was one of his academic accomplishments!"

"You’re telling me Galar knew about Sylveon in the distant past?"

Hikaru laughed.

"Galar is a fairy kingdom, after all."

"Your distinguished student should be Professor Sycamore, correct?"

"His primary subject is Mega Evolution."

At this point in history, Mega Evolution remained "extremely uncommon" and "exceedingly rare."

Hoenn might have possessed several people capable of using Mega Evolution, but in Kalos—the region where Mega Evolution first appeared—only four people could use it throughout the entire story.

Even Diantha didn’t clearly understand its principles.

At the station before Coumarine City, Professor Sycamore would congratulate the protagonist:

[Congratulations! I heard that you finally fulfilled every condition required for Mega Evolution: a Mega Stone held by the Pokémon, a Mega Ring carried by the Trainer, and a profound bond between you and your Pokémon.]

Diantha would then ask:

[A bond?]

It appeared she didn’t understand why she could perform Mega Evolution.

The dialogue at the Tower of Mastery made it even clearer that very few Trainers could use Mega Evolution during this period.

Even by the events of X and Y, it remained uncommon.

Professor Sycamore had conducted extensive research into the phenomenon of Mega Evolution.

The results, however...

Due to various gameplay-related contradictions, people often accused him of academic fraud.

To be fair, Professor Sycamore had protected himself by calling his conclusions "hypotheses" rather than proven facts.

Certain later developments were simply too ridiculous to withstand.

The release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire immediately overturned the established account of Mega Evolution’s origins, dealing the professor a devastating blow.

The Fairy type betrayed him even more thoroughly.

His two assistants claimed it was a recently discovered type that revolutionized the entire type system.

Meanwhile, neighboring Galar had employed a Fairy-type Gym Leader for more than fifty years and possessed ancient fairy tales about Sylveon!

There was no reconciling it.

Absolutely none!

Sometimes it was wise to place a question mark after one’s conclusions and leave room to maneuver.

That was advice any experienced professor could appreciate.

"Mega Evolution is an extremely novel field," Professor Rowan said.

"I encouraged him to pursue it without restraint."

"Ordinary evolution research is still undergoing constant innovation, but we shouldn’t refuse to study new phenomena simply because conventional evolution isn’t yet fully understood."

"Mega Evolution also appears to have been passed down in Kalos for an extremely long time."

"Few people can use it, but it genuinely is an ancient battle system."

"Now that we’ve mentioned him, I believe he should be arriving soon."

"And it is almost time."

"People with different personalities from many regions will gather together."

"In the past, that would have been an exceptionally rare occurrence."

"Travel and communication between regions were inconvenient."

"Academic conferences were held once every several years, but the further back we look, the fewer renowned researchers attended."

"This should be the largest gathering yet."

"Scholars from all over the world will assemble under one roof."

Professor Rowan rose and cleared his throat.

"Let’s go to the conference hall beside Canalave Library."

"Canalave City once had a very famous hotel. It was already bustling when I was young."

"It later closed, but the building was never demolished."

"If that hotel were still open—"

"Ahem. It would be best not to mention that hotel," Hikaru interrupted.

If professors from every region came here for a conference and stayed at the Harbor Inn, Darkrai would go on an absolute rampage.

Were they coming to stay at a hotel, or voluntarily delivering themselves to their deaths?

There were at least a dozen world-renowned professors across the regions.

That would be like dropping a bomb in the middle of the Solvay Conference.

Human history would instantly regress by five hundred years.

Hmm.

Wasn’t this conference effectively the Fifth Solvay Conference?

The famous group photograph known as "the gathering of humanity’s brightest stars" had come from that event.

"Has Dawn visited that place?" Professor Rowan asked, somewhat confused.

"Hmm. I’m not sure."

"Why would she visit a closed hotel?"

"Canalave City has had legends of people becoming trapped in nightmares since ancient times," Hikaru explained.

"There have long been incidents where people fell asleep and never awakened."

"The source is that hotel, and the incidents are connected to Darkrai."

"The hotel’s owner still exists there as a ghost."

"The legend of nightmares causing endless sleep is said to predate even the Hisui era."

It had been a Hisuian distribution request.

At the time, the nightmare deity had frightened people by emerging at night.

An ordinary member of the Diamond Clan asked Akari to handle the matter, and Akari defeated the nightmare deity as though it were a common foot soldier.

Besides, if Alamos Town existed, couldn’t they simply ask its Darkrai to dispel the nightmares?

Bring Alamos Town’s Darkrai into the hotel, have it punch the ghostly owner, and the entire problem could be resolved.

They could even capture the island’s Darkrai by force while they were there.

Did your Darkrai genuinely want to be captured?

What kind of question was that?

Hikaru had already obtained the Member Card. Darkrai no longer had a choice.

"What?!"

Professor Rowan had clearly only just learned about the situation.

His hand abruptly trembled.

"That hotel was already... So that was..."

"Darkrai again," Professor Hastings murmured, rubbing his chin.

"According to you, the Shadow Crystal’s guardian is also a Darkrai, correct?"

"Uh, even if they’re both Darkrai, they aren’t the same," Hikaru replied.

"The one in Almia is exceptionally powerful."

"Yes. It is even stronger than the Darkrai from Alamos Town."

The Darkrai guarding the Shadow Crystal was effectively a restraining force.

It could suppress the king’s dark soul.

Even after the crystal was purified, it would remain hovering above it every day.

It was completely different from the nightmare deities in other regions that lived cautiously and avoided attention.

It could freely control nightmares, open the Dark World at will, and withstand the Incredible Machine’s highest level of control.

Every one of those feats demonstrated how extraordinary the guardian was.

It had worked overtime at that post for three thousand years, suppressing the Shadow Crystal and preventing its power from escaping.

It unquestionably possessed genuine ability.

In the end, the pressure simply became too great for it to contain.

There was nothing to be done about that.

Holding the crystal back for three thousand years was already more than enough to repay the three princes.

They shouldn’t demand too much, especially when Darkrai had been working for free.

Beep, beep—

Hikaru’s Pokégear sounded.

He checked the message and saw it was from Professor Juniper.

"Professor Juniper has arrived too."

"Perfect. Let’s head over immediately."

Professor Rowan stood and invited Professor Hastings to accompany him.

Hastings tapped Elaine, who had become so engrossed in dismantling her little toy that she was having the time of her life.

She covered her head and reluctantly stood up.

Bustling crowds began emerging from the library.

Researchers in white coats steadily filed outside.

Some still wore unsatisfied expressions, apparently unable to tear themselves away from the sea of books.

Even more professors had gathered outside the nearby conference hall.

Old acquaintances greeted one another, while those meeting for the first time exchanged formal introductions.

Compared with the small "research meeting" held in Canalave City during the original events of Platinum—an event briefly mentioned without meaningful involvement in the story—this conference had become extraordinarily large.

In short, it was truly enormous!

(End of Chapter)

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